Giants vs Cowboys: Thanksgiving Day Preview

All hope is lost for the 2024 New York Giants. Enjoy the stuffing and sweet potatoes a little while longer come game time. There most likely won't be much to cheer about.

The Giants visit the Dallas Cowboys on a short week of rest after reaching their latest low point of the 2024 season via a meager effort against the Buccaneers.

Answers are hard to come by for the team at this point and after last week's game, the locker room is all but lost. The last six games of the season will arguably be the hardest for Giants fans in recent memory, and that includes the Joe Judge and Jason Garrett years.

The final stretch for the Giants starts with Dallas on Turkey Day. Here are a few things to watch for as the season trudges on.

Malik Nabers needs the ball

Yes, Tommy DeVito was thrust into game action for the first time since the end of the 2023 season. The rust was bound to be prevalent when he stepped on the field. However, the key difference between 2023 and now is that he has a real WR1 that can be a dynamic catalyst on the offensive side of the ball.

So why was Nabers not even targeted until the first play of the second half against the Buccaneers? How did an entire half pass by without him even receiving a target from DeVito? That is a detriment to team morale, and Nabers was not afraid to vocalize his disappointment postgame.

I'd also be pissed off if I was in his shoes. There has been a whole lot of noise around the team this season and the exact thing you don't want is your star wide receiver voicing his displeasure directed specifically at Brian Daboll after the game. This is the type of stuff that has brought the Giants down in recent years, those leading the team in coaching roles seem to not be able to grasp how to use their players effectively. Why have the Giants circled through four head coaches and offensive coordinators since Tom Coughlin's firing after the 2015 season? The organization has had no structure on the offensive side of the ball, and that continues to be an issue in 2024.

No matter who matches up with Nabers this week, he needs to be fed the ball. The Cowboys got DaRon Bland back last week, which boosts their secondary. but Nabers has proven he can go pound-for-pound with anyone. He shredded Dallas for 115 yards and 12 receptions in their week 4 matchup and can do so yet again this week. Enjoy Nabers' quick double move that led to a 39-yard reception against Dallas in Week 4, and pray to the NFL gods the Giants will do what's best and let him eat on turkey day.

Defensive line against Cowboys offensive line

The Cowboys offensive line has allowed 30 sacks on the season, tied for 11th worst in the league per Football Reference. However, they allowed just one sack in last week's game against the Commanders and are ranked 19th in sack percentage rate at 6.3% on the season. Starters Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebee are rookies and learning the ropes of the NFL. Now, it looks unlikely that Zack Martin plays in Thursday's game. This proves opportunistic for a Giants pass rush that has recorded 36 sacks on the season but have generated just one sack since the Steelers game in Week 8. They need to show up in Week 13 to give the secondary a chance to breathe with CeeDee Lamb ready to burn them all day long.

The rush defense has been abysmal, even worse than the pass rush of recent weeks. The front four is the first line of defense and have had trouble stopping the run at the source for a majority of the entire season. Currently, the Giants are allowing 147.9 rush yards per game good for third worst in the league per Covers.com. They are dead last in yards allowed per attempt at 5.2 per game. Allowing more than half of the yardage toward a first down per opponent rush is not winnable football. The front, aside from Dexter Lawrence, who is basically triple-teamed on every play, are not playing up to the standards of New York Giants or even NFL football. Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen preached aggressiveness and physicality from the line earlier in the season, but the complete opposite has been the case as of late.

I don't know what could help boost the line, because everyone is healthy. They are at full strength, and if this is what full strength produces, then that is very alarming.

There has to be a bounce back from the defensive line in Thursday's game. Cooper Rush is now starting and as I mentioned above, the Cowboys offensive line is going through the ups and downs of injuries and rookie adjustment. Kayvon Thibodeaux in his first game back coming off of injury produced two QB pressures, and Brian Burns against a backup tackle for Tampa Bay generated just one per NFL Pro. Even Azeez Ojulari has struggled; after amassing six sacks in the first eight weeks of the season he has generated zero since and just four QB pressures. He has now been placed on injured reserve, dealing another massive blow to the Giants depth at the edge position. Something has got to give and fast for this team to turn at least some of the many negatives into positives.

Conclusion

I don't blame Giants fans for being fed up at the state of the organization; it's in complete disarray. Disarray is probably the best way to describe this season, as it's been a constant battle throughout. Looking back now, I don't think there was ever any true belief in Daniel Jones as this team's signal caller of the future. Another blunder that cost this team and the fans three years of pain and shame.

It hurts to write in such a negative way, but I'm always going to try and say it how it is based on product I see on the field. We could see a complete 180 come this afternoon, and I always hope for Giants wins no matter the circumstance. Unfortunately, that is what they call the definition of insanity; when hope is put into something different to happen with the same exact methods and processes in place.

A Giants win isn't out of the question, but for them to do so, a lot will have to go right, and adjustments will need to be implemented throughout the game. Here's to hoping turkey day gives us plenty of fixings and a Giants win.